How to write a follow up email to win replies in 2025? [Guide]

Key Takeaways
  • Following up via email can spark engagement with the target audience or encourage them to take immediate action.
  • You need a clear objective and attention-driven purpose to write a follow up email.
  • Following up within an hour increases lead qualification rates by seven times.
  • Salesmate CRM offers smart email and text sequences to automate your follow-ups, enhancing your business opportunities.

Did you know? Sending more than one follow-up email can boost response by 25%. 

Furthermore, the response rate of follow up emails is affected by their content, timing, and frequency.

Following up is crucial for:

  • Driving engagement
  • Winning sales
  • Building a professional network

This guide provides a blueprint on how to write a follow up email after no response, with awesome examples and free templates to boost reply rates. 

So, let’s begin our learning. 

What is a follow-up email? 

A follow-up email is sent to re-engage the recipient regarding a product or service. A purpose-driven follow-up email can help restate your intention and encourage responses.

Follow-up emails are commonly used in sales, marketing, customer service, networking, and other professional contexts.

How to write a follow up email – 4 Simple steps 

Here are the four simple steps to write a good follow up email that gets a response. 

4 steps to write a follow up email

1) Define a clear objective

Each follow-up is unique, so it’s essential to determine what to say in a follow-up email before you start crafting it.

Understanding the purpose will guide all aspects of your follow-up email, such as what to write, crafting a meaningful subject line, and CTA (Call to Action).

Below are some of the common purposes for writing a follow up email:

  • To provide any additional information if missed in the previous interaction.
  • To thank the recipient after an interview or meeting, setting a positive tone.
  • To request an in-person sales discovery meeting.
  • For networking to pursue collaboration or partnership. 

2) Refer to your past interaction  

Analyze your previous interactions with recipients to identify what to say in a follow up email.

You can include past information, such as the date of your last meeting, topics discussed, or any pending actions. This will help you craft a personalized follow up message and increase the chance of a response.

This is why businesses invest in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems to connect and track previous emails, calls, and meetings that happened with a contact.  

Also, to improve B2B interactions, platforms like LinkedIn can provide additional insights into your recipient’s recent activities, posts, or changes in their professional status.

3) Write an impressive follow up email  

To achieve a high response rate for follow-up emails, focus on these critical components:

  1. Impressive subject line: Your follow-up email subject lines should grab the recipient’s attention and make them want to open the email.
  2. Meaningful body content: Provide additional information or share key details that offer immediate value.
  3. Clear Call to Action (CTA): End your email with a clear call to action, making your request or suggesting the next steps.
  4. Appreciative sign-off: Conclude your email with a note of appreciation. Thank the recipient for their time and consideration, leaving a positive impression. 

By paying attention to each component, you can craft a compelling follow-up email that will achieve the desired outcome.

4) Proofread before sending

Failing to proofread can lead to grammatical errors, additional context issues, and other issues that make you appear unprofessional and careless and leave a negative impression on the recipient.

Also read: Sales follow up: 7 Tried & tested strategies [8 templates inside]

Now, let’s discuss how to send a professional follow-up email.   

How to send a follow up email after no response – Avoid these mistakes! 

Sending a follow up email after no response can be tricky if you don’t know what will impact your reply rates. 

To ensure your follow-ups are delivered to the inbox and win replies, avoid the following common mistakes: 

6 Mistakes to avoid while sending follow up emails

1. Being too aggressive – Content and frequency

Poor content, no matter how frequently sent, will not bring the desired response.

So, you need to:

  • Avoid making your follow-up email too lengthy. Long emails can be off-topic, unclear, and boring to recipients.
  • Avoid sending follow-up emails too often, as they seem pushy and unprofessional. Space your follow-ups appropriately to avoid overwhelming the recipient.

2. Lacking personalization  

A lack of a personal touch can make your emails seem generic.

To make the email personalized, use the recipient’s name and reference specific details, such as their problems or recent achievements.

For instance, “Hi [Name], I noticed your company recently launched [product/service]. I believe our [solution] can help enhance your offering.”                           

3. Overusing phrases like “Just checking in” 

Phrases like “just checking in” are overused and can seem insincere.

Instead, use engaging subject lines like “Have you had a chance to review [solution]?” or “Can we discuss how [product/service] can benefit you?” 

4. Neglecting to include a clear CTA  

Your email lacks direction without a clear call to action. Further, a confusing CTA can prevent recipients from thinking or acting ahead.

Your email body provides the initial message, and the CTA asks recipients to make immediate decisions, which might confuse them.  

Here is a compelling example of a CTA for a follow-up email: “Let’s schedule a call this week to discuss this further” or “Click here to access your free trial.”

Hence, an aligned CTA always works in the sender’s favor to reach their end goal.      

5. Not respecting opt-outs 

Including an unsubscribe button in every email are a legal obligation in many regions and a sign of respect for your recipients’ preferences.

This helps in maintaining a positive relationship and ensures compliance with email marketing laws.  

Must read: 15 Best follow-up email templates [With best examples]

6. Reputation risks

If your emails are not being delivered, they may be flagged as spam, creating a negative impression for your company. Common technical issues include:

  • The recipient’s email address is invalid
  • The receiver’s mailbox is full
  • Email rejected due to spam filters
  • Authentication checks not passed
  • Sender IP issues
  • Bad domain reputation

Maintain a high sender score to indicate that you are reputable, increasing the likelihood of your emails being delivered.

Implement steps to fix email deliverability issues, such as regularly cleaning email lists, warming up the email domains, personalizing email content, and monitoring bounce rates.

When should you send a follow-up email? 

Experts recommend waiting at least two to three weeks before sending a follow up email. However, the timing can vary greatly depending on the context of your follow-up.

Here are some guidelines for different situations:

When to send follow up email

1) After a sales pitch or meeting 

Send an initial follow-up within 24 to 48 hours after a sales meeting.

Here, the goal is to thank the potential client for their time, summarize key points of the product/service, and propose the next steps.

2) After sending a proposal or quotation 

Wait 4 to 5 days before sending a follow-up on a sales proposal or quotation.

Inquire if they have reviewed your proposal or have any questions. If no response is received, following up again after a week would be great.

You can continue this weekly until you receive a response, but it’s best to move on if you still haven’t received one.

3) For customer service or support 

The customer service department needs to take immediate action. Therefore, following up within 24 hours of the customer’s complaint or inquiry is best. 

4) After a networking event 

A prompt follow up is effective in keeping the interaction fresh in the mind of your target recipient. So, following up within 24 hours of meeting someone at a networking event is effective and wins a response.

In this follow-up, you can reference the pointers of the previous interaction that interest you and create more conversation.

5) After a job application or interview 

After an impressive interview, sending a thank you email within 24 hours is excellent.

If you haven’t received a reply regarding the next step of the recruiting process, follow up with a second email a week later to express your continued interest. 

Here are some quick tips on timing for such a professional follow up email: 

  • Know more about recruiters’ working hours (specifically company hours, or you can clarify the hours while appearing in the interview) 
  • Avoid weekends, holidays, and typical out-of-office times 

For job applications, you must follow up within a week to get an update about the status of your application.

Read further: How to write a follow up email after an interview?

6 Must follow best practices for sending follow-up emails?

The pointers that you should follow while sending the follow up sales email or for any other concern is:  

6 best practices for follow-up emails

1) Choose the right timing  

Sending a follow up email at the right time can boost engagement of the recipients. In fact, a recent study shows that it is better to wait a minimum of 2 or 3 days between two follow-ups. 

Based on research from various trusted case studies, here are the best times to send types of follow-up emails:

Best time to send follow up emails

The ideal timing depends on the different purposes for which you are doing the follow-up.

So, to increase the chances of your email being noticed, you must analyze the best time to send it based on industry standards and recipient time zones.  

2) Segment and prioritize your contacts 

To improve the response rate of your follow-up, segment your contacts based on common grounds, such as…

  • Industry
  • Role
  • Interaction history
  • Geographic location
  • Interests and preferences

Segmented follow-up helps you craft more personalized and relevant follow-up emails, leading to higher response rates.

With advanced CRM software like Salesmate, you can segment your contacts and conduct personalized sales follow-ups to generate potential leads for the business.

Further, the platform enables personalization at scale with trigger events such as on-site actions, purchase history, and survey responses.

3) Conduct A/B testing for email optimization 

A/B or split testing is a tactic to compare the performance of two email versions to determine which resonates better with the target audience.

To build an effective follow up campaign, you can test various elements such as subject lines, CTAs, and images.

For instance, test two different subject lines for the same email to see which one yields a higher open rate.

4) Regularly review and learn from your emails

Review your follow-up emails before sending them. You can also seek advice from experienced professionals or coaches on how to craft engaging follow-up emails.

Analyzing your emails will help identify areas for improvement to increase response rates.

When sending follow-up emails, ensure you follow the rules and respect your audience. 

Ensure compliance with laws like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL, which require clear opt-out options, truthful subject lines, and explicit consent before emailing someone.

To be ethically sound, keep your emails relevant, avoid flooding their inbox, and always respect their privacy. Following these legal and ethical guidelines helps build trust and keeps your audience satisfied.

6) Utilize automation tools for efficiency

Automating your follow-ups is a best practice that can boost your results many folds. The Hootsuite study revealed that companies that use automation for sales follow-up see a 10% increase in sales productivity.

So, if you haven’t implemented this yet, consider investing in a sales automation tool like Salesmate. The software allows you to build personalized follow-up campaigns to improve engagement, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction, ensuring that every communication is relevant.

Now, let’s discuss the different follow-up email templates to determine what to write in a follow-up email.         

Follow up email templates – 6 Most common scenarios 

There are various follow up email templates discussed here for every scenario:     

1. Sales follow up email template 

2. Marketing follow up email template 

3. After a sales meeting 

4. Customer service follow up 

5. Networking follow up email template

6. Follow up email after application 

Explore more: 15 Best follow-up email templates for businesses

5 Best follow up email examples to learn from

These five follow up email examples will give an effective way of crafting the best follow-up emails:  

Example 1: Marketing follow up email example

How can this example be used effectively? 

SaaS brands send this kind of follow-up to encourage the purchase and re-engage the recipient by indicating the benefits of a platform like Grammarly Premium, highlighting its value for the users in this example.

Further, offering a 40% off offer is a great tactic to encourage a purchase. It also provides a clear call to action (Upgrade Now) to prompt immediate action.

Example 2: Sales follow up email example

Sales follow up email example

How can this example be used effectively? 

Referencing the past chat is always a good way to begin your follow-up email, as it helps to hold the recipient’s attention. Further, the sender asked about the proposal sent, offered to answer any questions, and suggested scheduling a call to discuss further.  

This kind of approach of specifying details from the past conversation with an actionable CTA shows attentiveness and provides a clear next step to re-engage target prospects. 

Example 3: Customer service follow-up email example

Customer service follow-up email example

Such emails after the sale will give customers a sneak peek at how much you care for them and their purchase. 

Also, giving them space to voice their concerns and provides a positive impression of the company. Such customer support emails can work wonders for the company’s reputation.  

Example 4: Networking follow up email example

Networking follow up email example

This is a wonderful example of networking follow-up emails. The sender smartly builds the connection by praising the recipient for their insightful advice on optimizing the landing page.

Additionally, they express how the recipient’s current work on an eBook about inbound marketing aligns with their projects, creating a potential common ground for collaboration. The entire message is personalized and friendly, making the follow up email effective.

Example 5: Job application follow up email example

Job application follow up email example

This follow up email example shows how to stay in touch with the employer and show that you’re still interested in the job. The email is short, clear, and has a direct call to action, making it easy for the employer to reply.

How long should you wait to follow up with an email after no response? 

The appropriate wait time between follow-up emails varies greatly depending on the situation and the recipient.

Remember, busy people may reply late. So, set the waiting period accordingly for each context.

How many follow-ups are too many? 

The optimal number of follow-up emails is 2-3, with a maximum of four. So, send more if you get responses, as sending too many follow-ups can create a negative impression.

Further, fewer follow-up emails will help increase the response rate without making it seem too desperate to get a response. Hence, it is better to send the first follow-up email within a week and then wait a week for the second one.

How can I measure the success of my follow-up email campaigns? 

Measuring the success of your follow-up campaigns is crucial to ensure you’re on the right track. Here are the key metrics you should focus on:

  • Open rate: It is the percentage of recipients who open your email. This metric is a good indicator of how compelling your email subject lines are.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR): This metric tells how many people clicked on links in your email. It’s a great way to see if your content is engaging.
  • Conversion rate: It shows how many people completed the desired action after clicking through your email, indicating the effectiveness of your follow-up campaign.
  • Bounce rate: It’s the percentage of emails that didn’t reach your recipients’ inbox. So, work on improving your email deliverability to avoid bound rates.
  • Spam complaints: It is the number of recipients who mark your email as spam. Keeping your content relevant and respecting opt-outs helps maintain a positive sender reputation.

Track the most relevant metrics regularly to understand what’s working and where you can improve clearly.

Investing in the best cold email software, such as Salesmate, Woodpecker, Lemlist, and Outreach, provides excellent features to help you achieve the best results. 

How to send follow-up emails on autopilot with Salesmate? 

Salesmate is a robust CRM with automation software that allows you to build personalized emails, automate follow-ups, and manage customer interactions effortlessly.

It offers automation at every step of your marketing and sales campaigns, with features like:

  • Email builder: Create email customizable follow up email templates without technical skills using the drag-and-drop email builder.
  • Campaigns: Build personalized campaigns and connect with millions in just a few clicks.
  • Personalization at a scale: Use CRM data to gain insights about your contacts and past interactions for tailored communication.
  • Multivariant testing: Test multiple versions of a single email with different groups to determine the best-performing campaign.
  • Personalization at a scale: You can personalize every follow up email for every type of recipient. 
  • Segmented targeting: Segment your contacts based on various criteria for more personalized interactions.
  • Automation: Boost productivity by automating sales and marketing activities.
  • Email tracking: Track how often recipients open your links and emails.
  • Sequences: Use the follow up email & text sequences to schedule and send them on time without hassle.
  • Analytics: Get detailed reports and analytics to measure your email campaign performance.

Salesmate is a complete business growth software with lead generation tools (Web Forms & Live Chat), sales pipeline management, omnichannel communication facilities, and advanced automation features.

Conclusion 

Follow-up emails are crucial to achieving better outcomes in various scenarios.

To effectively write follow-up emails, you need to understand critical elements such as the subject line, content, and the right timing to ensure you win a positive response.

With a smart automation platform like Salesmate, you can streamline the entire follow-up process and enhance the performance of your email campaign.

Frequently asked questions 

1. How often should I send follow-up emails without seeming pushy? 

You must be conscious of the timing of a polite follow up email. If you don’t get a reply after the first follow-up, wait at least 48 hours to a week before sending a second one. 

2. What are some effective strategies for personalizing mass follow-up emails? 

Here are a few strategies for personalizing mass follow-up emails:   

  • Focus on relevant information that can engage your recipients. 
  • Keep the tone conversational, as this makes them engaging. 
  • Group recipients based on criteria like demographics or behavior for more targeted communication. 
  • Perform an A/B test to optimize your email subject lines and CTAs.
3. What are common mistakes to avoid when sending follow-up emails? 

There are a few common pain points to avoid while sending & writing follow-up emails professionally:   

  • Writing follow up emails without any clear purpose
  • No value was provided in the follow up email
  • Generic templates are copy-pasted
  • Lack of personalization
  • No defined CTA to guide the recipient’s next steps
4. Can follow-up emails be automated, and how should this be approached to maintain personalization? 

Yes, follow-up emails can be automated using an email automation platform. Use integrated CRM software to tailor your communications based on their interests and interactions for personalized interaction.

5. Why are follow-up emails important in marketing? 

The follow-up in marketing can help in the following: 

  • Build brand awareness by keeping your brand top-of-mind for recipients. 
  • Provide value through insights, tips, or offers. 
  • Encourage further action, such as purchasing or signing up for a service. 

Sonali Negi

Sonali is a writer born out of her utmost passion for writing. She is working with a passionate team of content creators at Salesmate. She enjoys learning about new ideas in marketing and sales. She is an optimistic girl and endeavors to bring the best out of every situation. In her free time, she loves to introspect and observe people.

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